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Connect with other parents whose children are starting secondary school on this forum.

Secondary education

GCSE Support Thread 2013

681 replies

wolvesarerunning · 18/04/2013 16:33

I've been waiting for someone to start this (was on the 2012 thread last year and am unlucky enough to have dc 18 months apart in consecutive school years!) Please join me to support and share the angst with only four weeks to go now to the first written exam.

OP posts:

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roisin · 30/04/2013 02:43

I'd be concerned at students still working on CAs now, rather than concentrating on exam preparation work.

ds1 did most of his CAs in year 10 (All English and English Lit - written and speaking, 2 (of 4) German, History, 2 Science). The remainder (2 German, 2 Science) were done in Autumn term. If students had failed a CA and had to re-sit, these have mostly taken place in after-school sessions in Spring term or Easter hols. (He hasn't, thankfully).

The only exception for him is IT. They did the IT exam in yr10, then the coursework in yr11. His final deadline is this Friday and it seems to have involved a huge amount of time, so I'm pleased that one's done and dusted.

KatyMac · 30/04/2013 07:32

I am concerned roisin, less so about music (done in one year) more so about science, Geography &

Movingtimes · 30/04/2013 09:12

DD1 came home last night and said she needs to rerecord two of her music pieces, including one where she has been told to choose a difference performance piece on a different instrument to her initial submission. Cue much agonising and practising last night.
I suspect the teacher thinks she is a borderline grade and wants to make sure she gets over the grade boundary but she is mightily miffed as she thought all that was done and dusted weeks ago.

RussiansOnTheSpree · 30/04/2013 09:20

Why the change of instruments?

hellsbells99 · 30/04/2013 10:40

Hello all. My DD is also doing GCSEs this year with DD2 just entering maths early in year 10. DD1 is doing wjec English Lit and doing Lord of the Flies and Blood Brothers. She is still finishing the syllabus in Biology, physics and English Lit with her 1st exam on 13th May - I also thought all the work would be completed by now and the emphasis on past papers and revising etc. All CAs finished (as far as I am aware) with final art pieces being given in last week. She starts study leave on Friday 10th - but her exams start on the following Monday so not much study leave! Last exam on 5th June which is a biology unit 1 resit. Good luck everyone!

Movingtimes · 30/04/2013 10:58

Russians - she recorded one performance piece on each of her two instruments - teacher has decided one instrument is better than the other and she should do both on that.

circular · 30/04/2013 13:16

Underwater Not retakes. in chemistry they started late as had not covered enough of syllabus to start when they should have. Physics due to inaccurate information from teachers, so part being redone.nBeen through about 5 Physics teachers in the last two years.
Deadline for both end of tis week apparently. seriously impacting her French revision, which is first exam 13/5.

And it gets worse - they have still not finished the syllabus and have been told that will need to learn much of P6 and C6 at home.

roisin · 30/04/2013 17:57

What exam board circular?

roisin · 30/04/2013 18:00

This is a great online resource for AQA Science Basically, it's videos teaching you through all the different sections of the course. There are smartboard graphics, plus a voiceover/narrative, plus printable handouts and points where he tells you to pause and do an exercise yourself.

I'm not a very sciency person (and what school Science I had was 30 years ago!), but I find it very easy to follow and understand.

UnderwaterBasketWeaving · 30/04/2013 18:13

Oh dear, circular, that doesn't sound great.

Giving benefit of the doubt, schools have been royally messed around this year with more content and skills, and goalpost moves regarding the ebacc.

Any revision at home will help. Those revision videos are great. Don't forget you can download past papers, mark schemes and examiners reports from exam board websites.

circular · 30/04/2013 18:26

Roisin Its OCR Gateway separate Physics, Chemistry and Biology.
Done first modules in yr10 and got a*/a/a - desperately wants to keep to that level, doing Physics A level too.

Fortunately not till after half term, (when just those and Geog left) so will have more revision time once other subjects out of the away.

Thanks for the links - is AQA syllabus much different?

KatyMac · 02/05/2013 15:32

DD got an A for the composition bit of her Music GCSE

circular · 02/05/2013 16:10

Great news KatyMac - Is that all the music practicals done now?

KatyMac · 02/05/2013 16:11

Still listening to do (I think) - are they practicals?

circular · 02/05/2013 16:54

No, listening sounds like the written paper.

If it's Edexcel, there's 2 compositions and 2 performances, each worth 15%. The written paper (listening and appraising IIRC)is worth 40% on 24/5.

KatyMac · 02/05/2013 17:00

Is the composition marked by the teacher?

Yes that sounds right about the exam

RussiansOnTheSpree · 02/05/2013 17:45

If it's OCR then there are two performances which are marked by the teacher but have to be externally moderated, and a creative task which is externally marked (and involves composition) and a listening test which is a written paper lasting 1.5 hours.

RussiansOnTheSpree · 02/05/2013 17:46

The OCR listening test is also on 24 May.

KatyMac · 02/05/2013 17:54

It's Edexel.....DD thinks

RussiansOnTheSpree · 02/05/2013 18:00

How many performances and how many compositions did she do? Actually it must be edexcel - or AQA maybe? -because she recorded her composition at home, right? You can't do that with OCR.

I wish DD1 had done Edexcel. It sounds more sensible that OCR. The OCR creative task marking (she did her creative task on Tuesday) seems to be extremely random every year and apparently schools that sat the paper in January were howling with anguish when the marks came back in March. Makes me very concerned.

KatyMac · 02/05/2013 18:04

She also got an A in ensemble but doesn't know about the other 2

KatyMac · 02/05/2013 18:05

I checked the exam form it is Edexecel

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webwiz · 02/05/2013 18:36

DS is doing Edexcel music and he wasn't allowed to do anything at home. He spent most of half term doing stuff with his compositions in school because its all meant to be high control.

circular · 02/05/2013 18:53

Same for DD but you can't stop them getting their ideas together at home. they then just have to remember them to reproduce at school.
Shes did all hers before half term. Disappointed with her ensemble marks there was a slip up and she thought it didn't matter as you get the extra for it being a more difficult piece - except she never so has asked for it to be checked.

creamteas · 03/05/2013 19:43

DD heard today that her coursework for the ICT Diploma has been moderated and confirmed as a Merit :)

She has completed two units which gives GCSE equivalence as far as I know.

So that's one less to worry about

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